Some liquors end up hanging around more out of nostalgia than actual enjoyment. Johnnie Walker Black Label fills that role in my life. In fact, it’s one of the first liquors I ever had, and one of the first bottles I ever owned. The reasons are more to do with the perception of scotch as a higher end offering, and the black label being a step over the Red. In reality, Black Label isn’t particularly fancy or high enough, but is it as good as my memory serves?
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Aged twelve year and matured in oak casks and is a blend of single malt and blended grain whiskies.
Sight: Burnished.
Smell: Green apples, chestnuts, and smoke float up. Sea spray and honey come together to give a salinity. There’s a slight breadiness as well. The apple note ranges as far from caramelized to fresh to slightly candy like.
Sip: The body is moderate, and touches off without a whole lot. It opens up gradually, pulling in plum, wet stone, smoke, sea spray, and a bitter honey element. There’s a slight oiliness here, and elements of green apple and hardwood or leather come to play. There’s a bit of heat.
Savor: The ending is more minerality and smoke. These two characteristics overwhelm most everything else, barely letting a hint of yeastiness though.
Johnnie Walker Black Label is an iron fist in a chainmail glove. There’s not a lot of subtleness here, and there’s not a lot of depth. While there are some fruit flavors, this is a bit of a bully. Drinking it neat could be fine, but it’s probably not the most engaging pour.
In Cocktails
In a Highball, Johnnie Walker Black Label opens up with red apple, fresh plums, hints of vanilla, subtle oak, and a hit of minerality. The palate eventually drags in the smoke, and leaves it lingering on the finish. The result is more refreshing, powerful, and open in it’s flavor spectrum, but it’s not particularly deep. In a Bobby Burns No.2, the smoke overwhelms some of the more delicate flavors, but works well with the sweetness and salinity (particularly the lemon garnish). Overall though, this is a bit more unbalanced. For a fun contrast, a rusty nail balances smoke and sweet.
In Review – Johnnie Walker Black Label
Johnnie Walker Black Label is a bit uncouth for most drinks. If you like smoke and would like it cheap, then Black Label is probably an entertaining choice. For those looking for more fruit forward flavors or more gentle floral flavors, this isn’t going to work well. Due to the sheer power, we don’t recommend this as a bottle to start your bar with.